Chevrolet small cars marketing director Cristi Landy introduced the 2014 Cruze diesel at the Chicago Auto Show in February. The car just went on sale. / Brian Kersey Brian Kersey for Chevrolet

by James R. Healey, USA TODAY

by James R. Healey, USA TODAY

HELL, Mich. -- Chevrolet says not only will the Cruze diesel be the most fuel-efficient version of the compact sedan, it's also the quickest -- something not normally associated with diesels.

It will accelerate from standstill to 60 miles per hour in 8.6 seconds, says Gary Altman, chief engineer of the car. Gasoline models take longer, the slowest being the Cruze Eco, which burns up 10 seconds reaching 60 mph.

As a practical matter, the diesel will be quicker to accelerate up freeway ramps into fast-moving traffic, and to pass other cars on two-lane roads. That spares the driver the anxiety that sometimes comes with diesels -- which are quite powerful, but can be slow to hit their stride.

The Cruze diesel went on sale this month, starting at $25,695 including shipping. Until now, Volkswagen has had the mainstream diesel car market to itself in the U.S. The Cruze diesel is first to challenge it.

Cruze diesel comes only with a six-speed automatic transmission and is lower-price than the VW Jetta diesel with automatic transmission. The VW so-equipped is $26,325.

VW sells a manual transmission version of the Jetta diesel, and it's less-expensive than the Cruze.

We'll give you a full run-down on the Cruze diesel in the next Test Drive column. Meantime, here are some thoughts from a day driving around this area, mostly on rural two-lane roads:

â?¢Cruze diesel benefits from the wide use of direct injection in gasoline engines. That technology, which can boost power and mileage as well as cut emissions, makes gas engines sound like diesels, so the Cruze diesel has no big noise issue. Essentially, everything sounds like a diesel now.

â?¢Mileage undershot the government rating of 46 miles per gallon on the highway, eroded by a heavy right foot. Still, the result was an easy-to-accept 41 mpg.

â?¢The diesel borrows some aerodynamic tweaks from the gasoline Cruze Eco, such as low-rolling-resistance tires and air-diverting shutters shutters in the grille. Now, some of those items will find their way into regular gasoline Cruze models in addition to the Eco. But they won't be enough to bump up the mileage ratings.

â?¢Finding fuel should be easier than ever. The Diesel Technology Forum says 52% of U.S. stations sell diesel. That includes truck stops.